From the earliest prehistoric knowledge of fire and its many uses, up to the astonishing advances of the 21st century, mathematician and anthropologist Thomas Crump traces our increasingly sophisticated attempts to understand the universe. His brief history is a vigorous and readable account of how innate curiosity has continually advanced the frontiers of science and with it human civilization.

"Crump successfully conveys the rich grainy texture of science and discovery, yet in an accessible way.... [This] is a serious and fully furnished history of science, from which anyone interested in the development of ideas—or indeed, in history itself—will greatly profit."—Financial Times

"He provides lively summaries of the progress in different fields, and succeeds in breathing new life into familiar stories."—Economist